CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 15: THE SWALLOW RETURNS 15

The old lady was almost infuriated to death, and the woman accompanying her learned the hard way about Jiang Mingyue’s fierceness. Not daring to face her so soon, they quickly left with the old lady, tails between their legs.

Jiang Jianjun: "Wow, little sister, you’re amazing! You have no idea how this old lady has lorded over our house all these years. Seeing her like that today was really satisfying."

Jiang Zhenmei: "You’re incredible, sis. But, Zhenzhu is really awful. No wonder every time grandma came by, it was so coincidental."

Then Jiang Mingyue heard Mrs. Jiang’s face suddenly turn stern: "What did I say before? Even though Jiang Zhenzhu was mistakenly brought to our home, we never mistreated her. In fact, because she was the youngest and a girl, your father and I doted on her more.

After your father passed, when I was raising you all alone, Zhenzhu told me she wanted to go to school. Without hesitation, I took out the ten yuan monthly pension your father left us and spent it all on her.

Tuition, exercise books, ink, fountain pens, and even when she went to school, fearing her classmates might look down on her, I made two new sets of clothes for her every year. That’s ten yuan a month, a sum of one hundred and twenty yuan a year—all spent on her. In return, she turned her back on us, not only stealing the money meant for your elder brother’s treatment but also spreading rumors about how we mistreated her."

Mrs. Jiang struggled to breathe, and Jiang Mingyue quickly poured her a bowl of water.

"I won’t even mention all that, but from the day she heartlessly left, she has nothing to do with this family anymore."

After that, whatever else Mrs. Jiang said, Jiang Mingyue barely heard.

She was entirely absorbed in the words her mother had just spoken.

The book claimed that Jiang Zhenzhu got to study on her own efforts.

Implying the family didn’t allow her to study and even prevented her from doing so.

A child who is not supported gets no financial assistance, so Jiang Zhenzhu supposedly had to plead with the school and do chores to offset her tuition.

She thought, that book has problems, and indeed, it turned out to be true.

Jiang Mingyue recalled that in the month Jiang Zhenzhu returned to the city, everyone she came into contact with believed she was the poor child mistakenly taken by her foster mother, who also didn’t let her study, yet she was an idealistic good youth who managed to finish high school on her own.

So yet another scandal, anything related to Jiang Zhenzhu, its truthfulness is questionable.

She thought, just with Mr. Jiang’s ten yuan a month, it’s not enough for the Jiang Family to be the poorest family in the village.

Turns out the cause lies with this pest, Jiang Zhenzhu.

At night, neither sister could sleep.

Jiang Zhenmei: "Ming Yue, let’s talk."

Jiang Mingyue: "Yeah, I can’t sleep either, let’s chat."

Jiang Zhenmei: "Ming Yue, why is Zhenzhu so terrible?" Sharing the same bed with her every day, relying on each other for eighteen years, only to find out she never considered this place her home.

How can anyone do such things to family?

Jiang Mingyue didn’t really want to talk about Jiang Zhenzhu, it felt disgusting.

Jiang Mingyue: "Let’s talk about our older brother’s illness."

Jiang Zhenmei: "Yeah, he just fell asleep suddenly and wouldn’t wake up. Our whole family was frantic. Mom was ready to take the borrowed money to the town to get him treated. But when they loaded him onto the cart the next morning and mom went to get the money, she found it was gone, and only mom and Zhenzhu knew that place."

Jiang Zhenmei: "You wouldn’t believe it, mom was nearly driven mad with anger, it’s not just about the money, this is about brother’s life!"

Jiang Mingyue: "Then what happened?"

Jiang Zhenmei: "Initially, we thought brother was doomed, but they say heaven leaves a way out. A young man passing by learned of our plight, paid the money, and even helped find the best doctor there, saving brother’s life."

Jiang Mingyue didn’t expect this episode, given it wasn’t mentioned in the book.

Jiang Zhenmei: "Xiao Yue’er, actually when the Jiang Family sent a message asking us to bring you back to the city, our whole family had planned to take leave together to fetch you. But then with brother’s condition, mom and second brother couldn’t leave."

Jiang Mingyue: "Thanks for telling me all this, third sister. It’s okay, wasn’t it you who went to pick me up? Even if you hadn’t, I would have found my way back anyway."

Jiang Zhenmei: "Yeah, I knew. When I saw you at that intersection carrying a net bag, I knew my previous worries were unnecessary.

You don’t know, before Ning Yan brought the message back, saying in front of everyone that you didn’t want to come back to the countryside, looking down on it for being rural, and even to avoid coming back, you jumped into a river. Ming Yue, now I understand, rumors are just talk, these people didn’t know you and randomly ascribed bad reputations to you, I suspect it all ties back to Zhenzhu."

Jiang Mingyue: "..." Smart person!

There really was someone sending messages back, but the book didn’t mention this, nor did it mention anyone from the rural Old Jiang Family going to the city for someone.

The original Jiang Mingyue didn’t die during the "jumping into the river" incident. Having thought success in threatening her parents would mean they’d not send her back to the countryside, she hadn’t expected that a few nights later, she accidentally overheard Jiang Zhenzhu talking with Mrs. Jiang.

The gist was, even if she wouldn’t return, they’d let her marry that divorced man.

And that divorced man was old, indulged in smoking, drinking, gambling, and when losing or drunk, he would beat his wife; his ex-wife allegedly beaten to death by him.

The original was aware of such a person’s existence, terrified to sleep a wink that night, understood that Mrs. Jiang was no longer fond of her, and staying there would only mean being forced to marry that man.

Returning to the countryside, she believed she couldn’t bear the hardship.

Coincidentally, Zheng Honglian, a close friend of Jiang Zhenzhu, let slip, suggesting that when one hits a dead end, starting a life elsewhere might lead to a beautiful encounter.

With this mindset, the original left before dawn.

The irony was, the first man she met who showed kindness in a strange place was under Jiang Zhenzhu’s influence, and she even fell for him, leading to three years of miserable life, ending tragically.

And that man was Ning Yan.

The day Ning Yan came to propose, she wore a smiling face, but truly she wished to poison him to death.

But it was only a thought, she would never dirty her hands on someone like that.

The next day, Jiang Mingyue awoke particularly early.

The mantou from before was gone, so Jiang Mingyue decided to knead dough for hand-pulled noodles again.

The bone broth simmering in the pot overnight, now wafted a rich aroma even through the lid.

Right, last night’s sudden visit from the old lady likely was a ploy to ask for meat.

Jiang Mingyue thought to herself: Not even feeding it to a dog.

By the time Jiang Mingyue brought out five bowls of fragrant meat bone soup noodles, the others had awakened as well.

Jiang Zhenmei: "Oh my gosh, little sister you’re up so early? Why didn’t you call me?"

Jiang Mingyue: "Third sister was very tired, it’s good to let you sleep in a bit, quickly wash up and have breakfast."

Jiang Jianjun sat down with a sigh: "It’s great having Yue’er around!"

Mrs. Jiang, uncharacteristically kind to her son, smiled and picked out the meat from his bowl for Jiang Mingyue.

Jiang Mingyue: "..." Such overwhelming love!